A tanker explosion late Monday night has left in its wake, 10 burnt vehicles and property damage worth millions of Naira as the public relations officer (PRO) of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Kehinde Adebayo blamed "unsafe" practices of residents around the area for the explosion.

According to Adebayo, the agency was notified of the accident that happened at Barracks bus stop inwards Iyana Oba, Lagos-Badagry Express Way yesterday at about 9.48 pm, prompting the immediate deployment of their Response Team to the scene of the incident.

Speaking with The Guardian, Adebayo said, "Upon arrival at the scene, it was observed that the tanker with an unknown registration number and fully loaded with PMS of 33,000 litres and a white mini truck carrying electrical appliances collided side by side."

"Subsequently, the tanker's rear compartment got punctured resulting to spilling of the contents of the tanker onto the road. Consequently, a combined team of LASEMA Response Team, the LASG Fire Service, the Nigerian Police and other responders were able to successfully curtail and stop further spillage of the PMS into the environs and the articulated tanker and trucks were thereafter recovered."

Explaining what caused the fire, the agency's PRO said during the recovery process, the spilled content of the PMS which spilled into the distant environment ignited and burst into flames, consequently travelling back to the proximity of the scene resulting into three buses, one car and six trucks catching fire at once.

"The circumstances resulting to this fatal secondary incident could have been attributed to unsafe practices by inhabitants in the distant environs where the PMS spilled into. It is pertinent to note that no person was injured or died in the incident," he said.

An eye witnesses in the area that spoke under conditions of anonymity confirmed that some residents were going to scoop fuel from the fallen tanker into kegs and bowls and this might have been responsible for the explosion. "People rushed there to pack fuel inside jerrycan and even though some were afraid and telling them to stay away, they refused. Before we know what is happening, we saw fire but everyone was able to escape."

The Lagos State Fire Service, officials of the LASEMA Response Team, 81 Division Nigeria Army Fire Service, Nigerian Police and LASTMA were the responders at the scene of incident and they combined efforts to put out the fire.

The General Manager of LASEMA, Adesina Tiamiyu advised motorists to always listen to the instructions of emergency workers at incident scenes to avoid such unfortunate incidents in the future.

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